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170 of 172 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
3 out of 4 are Excellent; Those 3 are worth the price alone!, August 19, 2003
Three out of these four DVDs are excellent! This is probably the nicest series of Bible stories available. The photography is beautiful, as well as the costumes, props and sets; the acting of the main characters is superb, likeable and believable; and the scripts usually stay very close to the actual Bible verses. Genesis is the only stinker in this set. It is nothing like the other 3. The Genesis DVD has nice photography, but it does NOT act out the Bible scenes like the other three movies do! Genesis just narrates a reading of the book of Genesis, while showing contemporary desert people going about their daily lives. If you are undecided about buying the whole set, then I would suggest buying at least one of these separately. "Jeremiah" is my favorite, and it really captures the attitude of a humble prophet being persecuted by the wayward Israelites. "Esther" is probably the most accurately told of these three good movies. It is a pretty clear storytelling, where the other movies sometimes change the order of events (but still portray the overall message accurately). "Solomon" covers the biggest chunk of Scripture, retelling many scenes of the life of Solomon and what Solomon wrote in the Bible. I would rate the Genesis movie with 1 star, for being so misleading as to its content. But the other 3 films, Esther, Solomon, and Jeremiah are all 5 star movies! Even with the useless Genesis, the price of this DVD set is still a bit cheaper to buy the three good movies here, at one price, than to buy them one at a time.
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37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good, but some Scriptural license, November 7, 2000
If you've seen the Turner Network Television series of Biblical movies (like David, Moses, Abraham, etc.), this movie is made by the same people. In fact, some of the same actors are here. It's got a lot more action and drama than some of the other Biblical movies I've seen. The story covers the period of Solomon's fight with Adonijah through to the split of the kingdom between Jeroboam and Rehoboam. Overall, it is quite faithful to the Scriptures except for the Queen of Sheba. In this movie, she becomes his wife. In any case, the movie does a terrific job showing Solomon's faithfulness transitioning to his turning away from God. The producers also take some license in small areas where they integrate concepts from Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes into the movie. However, the point they're trying to highlight in those scenes comes through quite clear (and accurately). If you're like me, someone who doesn't like a lot of license in dealing with Scriptural truth, you will be able to enjoy the movie without a lot of distractions from the non-Scriptural parts. This movie isn't for small children due to some violence in it. It's PG-13, in my opinion.
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48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
God made him strong, women made him weak, December 21, 2003
A romanticized but quite accurate account of what is written in I Kings and II Chronicles, this made-for-television film is exceptional and boasts a brilliant international cast and fabulous settings. Filmed in Quarzazate, Morocco, the landscapes are wonderful, and the buildings and set decoration, in warm amber shades, are a visual delight, enhanced by the cinematography of Raffaele Mertes. The terrific score by Patrick Williams also adds much to the atmosphere. The section devoted to the Queen of Sheba has been embelished, but Viveca A. Fox is ravishing as the queen, and it makes for great drama.
The emphasis on this part is to show Solomon's destructive tendencies; women were his weakness, and the rationalizations for his behavior his undoing. From Adam to modern history, it's a common story, but in the case of Solomon, what he gave up for his weakness was God's mighty blessing, and the inheritance he would leave his heirs. Ben Cross ("Chariots of Fire") as this complex character is marvelous, and he is surrounded by a superb supporting cast. Though it's hard to take the nordic air from Max von Sydow (who in 1965 played Jesus in "The Greatest Story Ever Told"), he is nevertheless an aging giant of a man as King David, and France's great Anouk Aimee plays Solomon's mother Bathsheba with vigor, as she holds on to the reins of power with tenacity.
Other notable performances come from David Suchet (who was so good in the 1998 "The Perfect Murder") as Joab, Ivan Kaye as Solomon's half-brother Adonijah, and Richard Dillane as the laborer who ultimately rules ten of the twelve tribes, Jeroboam. Even the smallest parts are believable, which reflects on the excellent direction by Roger Young.
This is a Bible epic well worth owning for repeated viewing; some of it is poetic, some of it action-packed, often inspiring and thought provoking, and always fascinating.
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